N East water resources will solve the power crisis of the country: Modi

Narendra Modi reiterates that Northeast’ water resources can tide over the country’s power crisis.

BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Saturday said that he would carry forward the vision of Atal Bihari Vajpayee for development of the northeastern states. “During the NDA regime, Vajpayeeji created a separate ministry and various councils exclusively for the region with separate budgetary provisions,” Modi told a public rally here. “Moreover, he also directed all the departments to contribute 10 per cent of their budget for development of the northeastern states,” he said.

“I assure you that I will continue the vision and mission for the northeast started by Atal Bihari Vajpayee,” he said. “If all the states of the region progress than only will India progress,” he said. He claimed that at a meeting of chief ministers in 2012, Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Nabam Tuki had criticised the central government. “When a Congress chief minister has no faith in the Centre, how can we repose faith in the government? When the UPA government did not bother to listen to the grievances of a chief minister who is from the same party, how will they redress the grievances of the common man?” he asked.

Referring to the huge water resources of the region, Modi said if the potential is tapped, it could be one of the major economic hubs of the country. “Northeast water resource management is the need of the hour, which will not only solve the perennial flood problem, but will also solve the power crisis of the country,” he said.

He said he had proposed at a recent meeting that chief ministers of the eight northeast states send 1600 women police personnel to Gujarat so that they could create awareness about people on NE’s rich culture and heritage, which in turn would boost the tourism industry of the region. But it did not materialise, he said.